Dudley Labour group: Three more councillors quit Labour after leader's resignation
Three more councillors have quit the Labour group on Dudley Council in the wake of their leader's resignation last night.
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Councillors Karl Denning, Matt Cook and Peter Drake have followed former leader Councillor Pete Lowe in resigning from the Labour Party in protest at the Government's welfare cuts.
It means Labour has now lost eight councillors in the borough since last year's 'all up' elections, when all 72 seats were contested.
It leaves the Conservatives with 35 seats on the authority, Labour with 26, the Liberal Democrats with four and seven independents.
Councillor Denning, who represents Castle and Priory ward, said he expected 'one or two' more councillors to follow suit in the coming days.
He said the anger was with the Labour Government, and not with the group on the council.
"It all stems from the welfare reforms they want to do, we are just not happy," he said.
"We are not happy with the language they are using, we are not happy they are going to cut the disability benefits before they cut anything else. We just decided it wasn't the party we joined.
"I think there will be one or two more that will leave in the next couple of days. We are not comfortable with doing cuts. We have been fighting the cuts in Dudley, but we can't be fighting local cuts and then supporting them nationally."
Councillor Denning said the six former Labour councillors now sitting as independents were likely to form a new independent group. It is not clear whether Councillor Shaun Keasey, a former Conservative now sitting as an independent in Sedgley, will join the group.
Councillor Denning has held Castle & Priory, traditionally a Labour stronghold, since 2023. Councillor Cook was first elected to Brierley Hill and Wordsley South seat since May last year, while Councillor Drake, who represents Coseley, has been on the council since 2019.
Councillor Lowe, who announced his resignation last night, has been a councillor since 2003, representing Lye and Stourbridge North since 2006.
The latest spate of resignations follows last month's expulsion of Brockmoor and Pensnett ward member Councillor Steve Edwards for comments about Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. He was followed by fellow ward member Councillor Karen Westwood, who resigned from the party this month.
Last year, Wollaston and Stourbridge Town's Councillor Andrew Tromans resigned from the party, and this month joined the Liberal Democrats. Also last year, the Labour group's deputy leader Judy Foster quit her Brockmoor and Pensnett seat on an unrelated matter, and the by-election was won by Conservative Alex Dale.
